The Human Presence for a Sustainable Eco System; Gregorian Insights

Fr. Bijesh Philip

The church has been preoccupied with salvation of human kind, worship, charity for the weak and suffering people, etc till the middle of twentieth century. But when the destabilization of nature rose to an alarming pace due to the aftermath of industrialization and consumerist culture, certain visionaries in the church started responding to it. Along with scientists, philosophers, social activists, theologians also attempted to develop visions for a sustainable environment which is inevitable for saving the creation from an imminent catastrophe. H.G. Paulos Mar Gregorios (1922-1996), who was a philosopher, theologian, and a bishop of the Indian Orthodox church, is one of the pioneer theologians who struggled hard to bring up a theology for a sustainable eco system. This article is a small attempt to summarise his eco theology.

Various concerns in eco theology today:

The word ecology comes from the Greek ‘oikologia (‘oikos’= house, ‘logos’= word/science) which means the science of human habitation. Ecology deals with the question how humanity transforms the environment by living on it and from it and its solutions. Linking Christian faith and spirituality with ecology, eco-theology has been advancing through a couple of decades.

Based on the difference in emphasis and presentation, as Sebastian C.H. Kim categorizes, there are four major distinct strands in eco theology: Social ecology, creation theology, eco-feminism, and eco spirituality1. a) Social ecology is more concerned about the link between environmental destabilization and the social economic marginalization of the poor. Liberation of the exploited non human creation as well as the marginalized poor, both the victims of oppressive structures, is the main thrust of it. b) Creation theology emphasizes the interconnectedness and integration of God and creation or God (grace) humankind (Culture) and non-human creation (Nature), c) Eco-feminism identifies women with nature as victims of the dominated structure. Feminist conception of God as Mother and the ecological description of the earth as mother are compared and combined, d) Eco spirituality: The work of the Holy Spirit is renewing the whole creation. Since the activity of the Holy Spirit is not limited to Christian church, learning from the spiritualities of the other religions, especially that of the primal religions of tribals who conserve the wealth of forests sacredly, is encouraged by the advocates of the eco spirituality. Though the elements of almost all of these categories are seen in Paulos Gregorios (P.G.), his eco theology is primarily a creation theology.

Inclusive Ecotheology; major aspects

Based on the biblical doctrine of creation and eastern orthodox theology, especially that of Gregory of Nyssa (A. D. 334-395), Paulos Gregorios (PG) develops a sound ecotheology which can address the environmental crisis successfully. His famous book’ The Human Presence exclusively deals with this subject. His other books like ‘Science for Sane Societies, ‘Cosmic Man, ‘Disarmament and Nuclear Weapons’ etc are also supplementing to the theme under consideration. Major aspects of his eco theology can be summarised as follows:

a) Humankind, an integral part of the creation.

As against the modern trend to objectify and alienate the non human creation, P.G. affirms the deep interconnectedness of man and nature. He underscores the 20th century Jesuit scientist theologian Teil hard de Chardin’s (Shardan) view that ‘man is the most advanced point in the purposive evolution of the universe’.2 Even the 4th century father St. Gregory of Nyssa has described such a purposive evolution because of the dynamism deposited in the creation by the creator. P.G. has used many images to affirm the integration of humans and the rest of the creation. For eg. quoting Nyssa he says: “It is on the plant of the universe that the human fruit subsists”3. Humans are constantly in touch with the nature through breathing, taking of food and water, receiving knowledge through senses. ‘Human life interpenetrates nature”: P.G. does not like ‘stewardship concept’ with regard to the nature because of its ‘objectification’ connotation. In a nutshell, Humanity’s integral relation to the universe of things, plants and animals is emphasized heavily in his writings.

b) A holistic world view as a corrective force

P.G. traces the root cause of the uncontrollable exploitation of nature and ecological crisis back to the narrow worldview developed by the scientific technological urban civilization. His plea to science is that “science has a responsibility to become slightly more sane and perhaps more modest, admitting that its method is only one road to reality, one that reveals significant aspects of reality”4. When God was ousted, man and nature became alone and were enclosed in history. It is indispensable to correct this narrow vision with the revival of Theo centric worldview. Humanity and nature as well as the invisible world of angels are all equally dependent on the will of God both for their coming into being and for all their continual existence. Creation is not autonomous or sea sufficient. Created existence is existence by participation in God’s will.

P.G. strongly suggests a fresh reverent receptive attitude to nature, which is different from our objectifying analysing technique. It is the attitude of being open to fundamental reality (God) as it manifests itself to us through visible, audible, sensible realities in the creation. He laments that “We have become so accustomed to the scientific, technological stance that we have lost the faculty of addressing reality as a whole, or seeing in it the source and sustainer of life, of responding to it with reverence and receptivity and of surrendering ourselves to it on all fulfilling love”. The capacity to respond with our whole being to the being of God who presents himself to us through the created universe needs to be revived. This reverent receptive attitude is to be adopted not as an alternative to the scientific technological attitude, but as necessary complement. What he implies may be a combination of Einstein and Tagore.

c) Matter is spiritual; its participation in redemption

God conceives and wills matter. So matter is God’s will, his energy, made palpable to our senses. P.G., while admitting his indebtedness to Nyssa for this idea, says that ‘we need to recover this concept in our time in order to find a new respect for inanimate as well as organic nature’. Einstein’s discovery that energy can be turned into matter and vice versa ratifies this concept. P.G.’s bold stand is an effective step to overcome the traditional misconception of material spiritual dualism or rivalry.

Incarnation of the Son of God, use of non human creation in his life, offering of nature and humanity on the cross, resurrection, and the ascension by which he lifted nature and humanity to heaven’, amply assert the spiritual significance of matter. It was also given participation in the redemption. The sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist respect this significance of matter and nature.

d) Human Presence: Mediation of humans

Being created in the image of God, being the combination of corporeal and spiritual worlds, humans have to play the role of a priest in the creation. S/he should radiate the grace and glory from God to the creation and offer the creation to God through self offering. It should be noted that priest is also an integral part of the congregation. In worship S/he can divinize this world by acquiring the qualities of God. It is by fulfilling her/his divine potentially of the image of God through love, wisdom and good that s/he must mediate the blessing and express mastery over the world. As P.G. puts it rightly “It is when man wears the purple of virtue and the crown of justice that he becomes a living image of the king of kings, of God himself”5. Jesus Christ is the best example of the true Human presence on earth. In his priestly role, s/he will keep the rhythm of mastery and mystery always and master the nonhuman creation only as her/his own extended body.

Ascetic ideal and liberative struggle

Simple and sacrificial life of monasticism is a powerful lift for the mankind which is entangled in the mire of luxury and globalization. P. G. has highlighted this ascetice ideal in his depiction of the disciplined experimental communities as a way forward for human kind6. It is a reverse process of the western attempts to conquer, conquest and colonize. It is noticeable that the craze for the luxury of a few people is what destroys the harmony and stability of the eco system. The enormous inequity in carbon dioxide emissions, best represented by the comparison between US percapita emissions and those of South Asian nations will adequately prove this. In 1996, one US citizen emitted as much as 17 Maldivians, 19 Indians, 30 Pakistanis, 49 Sri Lankans, 107 Bangladeshians and 249 Napalians.7 Of course an alternative life style based on need against greed is extremely essential.

But our remedial measures will be incomplete without justice extended both to the bruised nature as well as the poor victims of the ecological crisis. As an ecological prophet, a couple of decades ago, P.G. opened our eyes to the peril in which our planet is involved and strongly pleaded for the sufficient public demand for enforcing adequate pollution-abatement measures. Today we are more conscious about the dangers of ozone layer depletion, acid rain, green house effect or global warming, deforestation and desertification of land, issues related to nuclear energy and nuclear wastes etc.

P.G. cautions us about keeping the biosphere in good shape: “The biosphere, that thin and fragile layer around our planet that sustains life, has to be carefully conserved, if life is not to perish from the face of the earth. The biosphere is not even the common ‘property’ of the whole of humanity alone. It belongs to all life on this planet.........Our industrial civilization is now the threat, not only to humanity’s survival, but to the survival of life itself”8. P.G. reiterates the importance of the use of renewable sources of energy like solar as a solution to depletion of sources and pollution.

Can we close our eyes to the destruction caused by deforestation, mega dams, mono culture plantations and wastes etc. and subsequent sufferings of the tribals, fishermen and poor people in our own country. Still the Home Minister of India boasted about the nuclear test in 98 and the supreme court verdict in favor of the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam in 2000 as a great achievement of the then government. It is interesting to note that India’s food grain produce due to the contribution of 3600 big dams and what is eaten every year by rats from the stock of civil supplies in this nation is almost same. Proving this with the aid of official documents, Arundhadhi Roy rightly ridicules: “India must be the only country in the world that builds dams, uproots millions of people, submerges thousands of hectares of forest, in order to feed rats”9.

“Have we, as Christians, paid sufficient attention to what our human race is doing to our planet and its biosphere? Have Christians been too preoccupied with personal morality and social ethics in a rather limited way, ignoring the global dimension of the human impact on the environment?”10. I hope that these words of H.G. Paulos Mar Gregorios and his eco theological insights will empower us to participate in the liberation struggle for a sustainable environment and restoration of justice to the victims of the environmental threats and also to adopt an alternate life style.

1. Kim, “Eco-Theology and Mission” in Ecological Challenge and Christian Mission ed., Marak

and Aghamakar, 213-225.

2. Gregorios, The Human Presence,50.

3. Gregorios, The Human Presence, 64.

4. Varghese (P.G)., Science for Sane Societies, Madras, 35.

5. Gregorios, The Human Presence, p70

6. Gregorios, Freedom & Authority, pp. 144- 149 and

7. Eco-ethic, The INECC News Letter, July-September 2000, P.2

8. Paulos Gregorios, Science for Sane Societies 40